November 18, 2009

Posted by Rick Pearson and David Heinzmann at 10:10 a.m.; updated at 12:19 p.m.

Gov. Pat Quinn declared his days are filled with “missions accomplished” on issues such as ethics reform and job creation at a debate today, but rival Democratic governor candidate Dan Hynes criticized him for a lack of leadership filled with “flip flops” that lack credibility with lawmakers.

The governor also used the hour-long debate at the Union League Club of Chicago to defend his plan to turn the largely vacant state prison in Thomson in northwest Illinois over to the federal government to house suspected terrorist detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Quinn touted to the audience that there is a “carefully done plan to protect” Illinois residents, afterward the governor conceded he was talking about the plans that existed for Thomson to serve as a maximum-security state prison — not one housing federal terrorism suspects.

Much of the debate between two of the Feb. 2 Democratic primary candidates for governor involved trading shots over budget policy. Quinn questioned why Comptroller Hynes has failed to back a two-tiered pension plan for public employees that would offer reduced benefits for new workers. Hynes said Quinn’s claim that he got a Chicago mass transit funding solution relies on borrowing that only pushes the problem down the road—a symbol of the inflated claims the governor has made about his leadership.

It was the second time in four days that the two major contenders for the Democratic primary nomination went head to head, though today's meeting was less contentious than a Sunday forum in Rockford. Still, consistent themes emerged as Quinn sought to portray himself as a hard-working chief executive and Hynes as a sidelines player. Hynes noted neither man had been elected by the people as governor — Quinn was elevated by the ouster of Rod Blagojevich — and argued that Quinn overstates his achievements.

But it was Quinn’s use of the term “missions accomplished” that was unusual for a Democrat. For years, Democrats nationally used the term “mission accomplished” to deride former Republican President George W. Bush’s handling of the Iraq War — a reference to the banner that hung behind a flight-suit wearing Bush as he addressed members of the military from an aircraft carrier.

“You’ve got to have a governor who gets things done. That’s what I’ve done. I took over at the worst time Illinois could ever have in our history, a very dark, dark hour,” Quinn said. “And we’ve, day after day, got missions accomplished whether it’s in ethics or getting things done for ordinary people in the budget or getting jobs.”

But Hynes took a swipe at Quinn for not speaking out against Blagojevich, Quinn's two-time running mate, until after the 2006 general election victory. Hynes said while some may question how hard it would be to challenge Blagojevich because “the guy’s a crack pot,” the comptroller spoke out against the disgraced former governor in the early days of the Democratic administration when it “wasn’t easy.”

“Some stood silent. Others stood up. And I think that’s a key difference because it speaks to leadership and leadership is what we need right now,” Hynes said.

Hynes also challenged Quinn’s leadership and credibility with lawmakers in Springfield.

“One of the problems with getting something done is you need to have credibility. You can’t be inconsistent. You can’t flip flop. You can’t be changing course every other week,” Hynes said. “When that happens, members of the legislature start charting their own course. We need to have strong leadership and consistency to get things done in Springfield.”

Responded Quinn: “I think I’ve shown over and over again, every day, getting things done with the legislature.” The governor said he expected within days to sign a controversial campaign finance bill that would limit political contributions, though it would not limit money transfers from the General Assembly’s powerful legislative leaders.

Quinn zeroed in on Hynes' refusal to say whether he supports changes in the state’s pension system. Quinn said he backed a two-tiered pension system that would include teachers and said that at a rally of unionized educators he received a “standing boo-vation.”

“We have to have reform. We need governors who make those tough decisions,” Quinn said, failing to note that he backed down from seeking pension reforms, including asking public workers to kick in more money toward the retirement, shortly after he appeared at the rally.

After the debate, Hynes wouldn’t explicitly say he opposed a two-tier pension system, and at one point told reporters he didn’t know what the term meant. But then he explained that “current employees and future employees, teachers especially, deserve a pension benefit that past employees get.” Hynes is seeking the support of the state’s largest teachers’ unions.

During the debate, both men were asked about a proposal to sell the Thomson prison for a facility that would become a super maximum-security penitentiary housing federal inmates overseen by the federal Bureau of Prisons with a segregated section run by the Defense Department that would house terrorist detainees from Cuba.

Hynes said he had an open mind and believed President Barack Obama would ensure such a facility was safe for his home-state constituents. Quinn, a lead backer of the proposal, said plans exist to ensure it would be secure.

“We want to make sure public safety is always paramount,” Quinn said. “We have a plan in place, a carefully done plan, to protect the public of Illinois, to make sure the principles of American justice are carried out.”

Afterward, Quinn was asked by reporters about the security plan. But Quinn said only that federal officials seemed to believe that the Thomson facility would be adequate to detain prisoners safely without threat to the surrounding community.

During the debate the Democratic governor also said school consolidation is desperately needed to make education funding more consistent in a state with about 900 individual school districts. School district consolidation has traditionally been a politically delicate issue among downstate schools, where school buildings are among the last iconic characteristic for many rural communities.

“We have too many school districts in Illinois that are inefficient that cost taxpayers too much money,” Quinn said. “We need more consolidation.”

Hynes said such decisions should be agreed upon with local input and not decided from afar in Chicago or Springfield.

Hynes began by telling the Union League audience that “charismatic, electrifying, dynamic” are “three words never used to describe Dan Hynes.” But, he added, “the two of us up here have one thing in common — neither one of us has been elected governor of Illinois.”

Quinn lashed out at Hynes’ TV ad campaign, contending it was an attempt to “demonize” the governor by someone “on the sidelines, sniping.”

Comments

build prisons to throw the young brother's lives away in....instead of colleges, which would of course be less expensive and way better for society as a whole....then follow it up by paying state employees way too much for the poor quality of work preformed.....ever drive our highways? we need to fire every one of these s.o.b.'s, lay off about 1/2 the state's employees, live within our means and quit terrorizing our citizens!

Governor Quinn has not accomplished anything - no real reform, no real financial reform, no pension reform. He will be sadly disappointed when he finds out that the voters are mad as hell and not going to take it any more.

The both of them need to be voted out of office in 2010. Them along with Madigan/Cullerton are to cause of the problems in Illinois. Republicans are not faltless in this mess either. They just go along to get along and take their fair share of the spoils from the taxpayer.

All 50 aldermen on the Chicago City Council had to file paperwork earlier this year detailing their outside income and gifts. The Tribune took that ethics paperwork and posted the information here for you to see. You can search by ward number or alderman's last name.

The Cook County Assessor's office has put together lists of projected median property tax bills for all suburban towns and city neighborhoods. We've posted them for you to get a look at who's paying more and who's paying less.

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